Choices and Chances
by 2nd Time Around
Summary: Post 3x22. My take on the season 3 finale. It is all about the choices we make.


Summary: Post 3x22. My take on the finale. Choosing a eternal mate is difficult. Elena makes her everlastingly choice. Is it the right one?

Notes: For all those reading Sexting Surprise, I'm almost done with Chapter 11. I had to get this one shot out of my system first.  
_

Elena opened her eyes the first time vampire. Technically she wasn't a vampire quite, yet. She was in transition. The first things she saw were the Salvatore brothers, they were the men she loved. The boys were at her bedside.

"Stefan, you saved me." These were the first words out of her mouth.

Damon smirked for only a second, his face then fell towards sympathy. "He didn't. You're in transition, Elena. You are becoming a vampire." He began to stroke her hair, it was an unconscious gesture to try to calm her.

She sat up, a little bit agitated. "How?"

Damon held her hand in support, but it was Stefan who spoke. "Doctor Fell, this morning. She gave you vampire blood to heal you, Damon's blood."

"Then Stefan, conveniently allowed you to drown." Damon said, emotionlessly. "I would've made another choice, but I wasn't there to do the right thing."

"Damon, she wanted me to save Matt first." He answered with anger. "It is what she wanted, her choice. It is on her own terms."

His icy blue eyes looked directly into his brother's green ones. "Let's be calm, she doesn't need you make this ordeal worse." Damon remembered when he turned and how Stefan didn't help that experience.

Elena closed her eyes as she processed the information.

Stefan picked up a bag of donated blood off of another morgue slab. "Drink. I know we had talked about this in the future, but I guess density made your choice, Elena. It shows me that we are meant to be together forever. Like we always dreamed about."

Damon was shocked that Stefan and Elena had talked about her becoming a vampire and living together from now until the end of time. This thought stabbed Damon in the heart. They must have really loved each other, he thought to himself. He didn't want to be a perpetual third wheel.

She hesitated taking the bag from Stefan.

"How long to I have to decide?" Elena asked cautiously.

"You have several hours." Damon whispered. "This is your choice, Elena. I know it's very difficult and personal."

Stefan said. "I really want you to become a vampire. I can't lose you, Elena."

"Get out of here, Stefan!" Damon yelled. "You let her make the choice to die, now you want to make the choice regarding her undead life. You will not persuade or tempt Elena to become a vampire. You did that to me and I resented you for a long time. You don't want her to hate you forever."

"I let her choose her destiny before and this is what happened. Elena, I love you. I'll love you forever, we can make this work. You will get to experience so much with me, look at it as a gift." He explained.

"Stefan, I need to make the decision without you." Elena said. "I need to be alone in this."

"You'll never be alone, Elena." Stefan walked out of the morgue.

"Just let me know. . .I'll support and watch over you no matter what. In the past I made choices to protect you, but this one is a big one. I guess it's the most important decision, you'll ever make." Damon followed him out the door.

"Damon, wait."

He turned around and looked at Elena.

"I want you to stay." She said.

"I thought you needed to be alone." He replied.

Elena confessed. "Stefan was making this so hard for me. I took care of you on your deathbed, will you do the same for me?"

"Of course." He said and sat down on the slab. Damon grabbed Elena close.

Elena began sobbing into Damon's shoulder. At this point, it was beyond words, she had to let all of her emotions out. He gently rubbed her back, caressing her soft skin.

"Take me home." She said.

Damon just nodded and scooped her up and ran to the Boarding House with vampire speed. He didn't stop, until he reached his bedroom. He stopped at his bed and gently laid Elena down. She turned onto her side and began bawling into the pillow. Damon spooned up next to her and pat her back.

"It's okay, baby." Damon said. "I'm here for you, no matter what."

She looked back at him with a tear stained face. "I know."

Damon gingerly touched her face to wipe away some of the tears and to comfort her. "You can tell me anything, ask me anything." His soft voice was full of reassurance. Damon kissed her forehead.

"Stefan respected my choices, he let me do whatever, I wanted. It was nice to be in control, to call the shots. He spoiled me, indulged me, let me screw up. As an eighteen year old girl, I thought that was love. It was nice. Stefan validated me." Elena explained. "But you weren't like that. You made choices for me, I resented that."

Damon interrupted. "Elena, I. . ."

"Let me finish and then I want to hear what you want to say to me." Elena replied with a soft smile. "But I know that it was because you loved me, wanted to protect me. Damon, you knew better what was best for me. You always chose me. Stefan just let me choose, he made my choices more important more than me."

"Baby, I would've saved you, you would've hate me, but you wouldn't be here now, becoming a vampire." Damon said.

"I know." She said quietly. "You would've let Matt die?"

"Maybe. " Damon answered. "I know this is crazy, but I think I could've saved you both. I'm stronger than Stefan, I think I could've brought you both up to the surface at the same time. If I couldn't have done that, I would've saved you."

Resting her head on the pillow, she smiled up at him. "Do you hate me? Hate me for choosing him? When you would always choose me."

He paused before talking. Damon had a lump in his throat. "No. I was just confused and hurt. I feel the passion and hunger between us. I don't understand how you could deny that. You have feelings for me that I know that you don't have towards my brother."

"Good." This was the only time that she looked relaxed and relived, since she was in transition. "Because I made the wrong choice. I know that now and I know why. I understand. I remember things you made me forget and I didn't have all the information before to make the right choice."

Damon was stunned. He wore an expression of amazement; he had never been this happy in his entire life. "Is that all? Knowing that I met you first and professed my love to you. I think there is more to the story." Damon said.

"Human Elena was weak. Your love was too much for her. It was overwhelming. I was afraid." She said as all her fears and anxieties didn't matter anymore.

"I love you." He said. "As a human or as a vampire. I love ever part of you, Elena. Nothing could stop that."

"Damon, please hand me the blood. I want to drink it, now." Elena said with a new found confidence.

"Are you sure?" He asked.

Elena replied. "Yes. I want to be with you forever."

Damon's own transition to came to his mind. He promised and eternity of misery to Stefan. He made another promise to Elena in this moment. "Before you drink, I just want to say, I'm promising you an eternity of passion, adventure, and a little bit of danger."


End file.
